Your Bra Wardrobe

We frequently get questions along the lines of "how many bras do I need?" And we've seen several of our clients struggle with finding the right balance of bra styles for their wardrobe.

One must compartmentalize one's wardrobe to find the perfect number of bras. For example, a woman who works long hours in a corporate environ will have different bra needs than a woman who is a nurse by trade and spends most of her free time training for triathalons. We don't assign certain numbers and styles because its completely dependent on one's lifestyle.


The example above needs four kinds of bras: lounge/leisure, exercise, softcup for work @ home, and underwire to put her best profile forward out of the house. Similar to different wardrobes for different lifestyles, we need different bras for different lifestyles. In general, for everyday use, good fitting seamed cup bras with a couple of seamless styles added in is the best mix. The example below only needs two kinds of bras: lounge/leisure (this includes sleep) and underwire to put her best profile forward while working.


A) evaluate how you spend your time,

B) have more than enough bras to be well prepared & excited to put on your empowering 'under armor' for each of your life's activities,

C) compartmentalize - decide when you do X activity (work, stay at home, exercise), you will wear either A, B or C bras. Very similar to stylists who take an inventory of your closet and then snap photos of the outfits - each shirt in your closet will ideally be compatible with 2-3 bras in your lingerie drawer. We suggest re-evaluating your bra arsenal once a quarter, especially as bodies and activities change.

What about you? Where are the holes in your bra wardrobe currently? I'll go first: I want a nude leBreeza sports bra. I need a nude plunge balcony bra - my everyday choice. I saw a great Fantasie sample at a retailer's event recently, but a sample is a 34D so of course I didn't even try it!!

Your Bra Cup - Cut & Sewn

Molded and seamless bra cups are very popular in the states. In Europe, the molded/ seamless bra is gaining popularity, but still more often than not one will find European women wearing cut & sewn bra cups. What are cut & sewn bra cups? Any guesses . . . its a seamed cup bra - made out of two to three pieces of fabric that are cut and sewn together to create one bra cup.

Have you even been to a mall or other people gathering place and watched the women as they walked past you? If you have, then you would see a bunch of wiggly, jiggly bouncing breasts on women's bodies. This is the result of our obsession with the seamless bra and our affinity for tight knit shirts.

Women wear clingy, stretchy knits because they feel it fatters their figure - it stretches over the large breasts, while shrinking back to show the (slim) waist. In the age of the clingy knit, bra makers came out with the seamless bra. But then, nipples started showing because we were wearing tight knit shirts with seamless bras, so molded bras were introduced. These bras sell like hotcakes. Still, Fantasie's 4520 is a well liked solution among our clients.

In a seamed cup bra, place the nipple at the cross hair of the seams - right where they intersect if its a three part seamed cup. That little bit of pressure will go a long way in preventing your headlights from showing. Cut and sewn cups prevent stretching of the bra cup, providing excellent support and precise fitting. And finally they give a beautiful shape.

So what's our recommendation for the full bust woman? Wear a seamed cup bra underneath your Bratique Helene shirts and you'll look and feel like a million dollars.